Such comments are expected when you join a new club. The crowd was less than 27,000, the same figure Mulumbu used to play in front of every other week at The Hawthorns.

No it was the line: “The most important thing for a player is to be wanted by a coach, and he was the biggest reason behind me coming here.”

Was it a side dig at Tony Pulis? Perhaps.

But after the opening three games of a poor start to the campaign Alan Irvine hadn’t picked Mulumbu either remember, picking James Morrison, Craig Gardner, Graham Dorrans and Chris Brunt in his midfield. Claudio Yacob had more of a case to chirp.

Mulumbu had been a fine, fine servant to Albion in the Championship and a fine player in the Premier League.

But few would argue that his game was on the wane in that difficult last season.

Youssouf Mulumbu celebrates his winner for West Brom against Aston Villa in April 2011

Sure he started at Old Trafford at put in a terrific shift. But at Newcastle he was running around chasing St James’ shadows.

Most would agree that despite the glorious memories - from the ten man winner against Villa to the bizarre sending off at West Ham- it was time to put his £1.5 million salary to better use.

Mulumbu’s timing in the end let him down. Remember that at the exact time Pulis had taken charge Rob Kelly picked him at New Year’s Day at West Ham.

Yet Pulis sent Dave Kemp to the bench to replace him midway through the second half.